


In need of comfort

by BotCp



Series: Alexei's fanfics [1]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alexei needs a hug ok, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Art, But they're not having sex, Confession, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Illustration, Other, Picture, Pre-Canon, Romance, Scientist!Reader, alexei is such a cutie, but intimate, like naked people in the same bed, no beta we die like men, normal people, not sexual, y'know like
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-06-27 03:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19782193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BotCp/pseuds/BotCp
Summary: Even though everything was going well, Alexei was unhappy, and you were worried.(Gender-neutral reader)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First chapterrrrr WITH A PICTURE!  
> Italic lines are characters speaking Russian

Honestly, it was a very scary view and an electrifying thought.

You were standing behind the General and the two main scientists to watch the progress of the operation. It was one more of the few attempts to open the portal and everyone was looking forward to seeing the results.

The machine was turned on and the blue lighting it was emanating announcing it was working, that was a very good signal, it made Alexei’s smile grow as he watched the process.

But the machine didn’t show stability and, in a flash, it exploded.

Those men... They... They died?

You could see how confusing the situation was and how Alexei’s smile fell at the view. It was not supposed to be like that. He quietly followed the comrades down the stairs to see the results of the failed experiment. Several men were on the floor, their corpses still in flames.

The General did not look satisfied with the progress (could it really be called progress?) and his guard lifted one of the scientists by his neck, slowly choking him to death. Alexei was as paralyzed with fear as you were, but you both knew better than to try to do something.

_\- You have one year –_ he told Alexei, who nodded obediently, and then left the room.

He was tense, it was obvious. Being now the head of the operation meant that he could not make any mistakes or he would end up like... His old friend, who was now lying dead on the floor.

You went down the stairs as careful as you could, quickly reaching out to him. He did not need to turn to know it was you who placed a hand on his shoulders. You could feel his body trembling and how strained his muscles were.

\- _What am I going to do?_ \- He said in a low voice

\- _Don’t worry, I’m here with you_ – you said, and he grabbed your hand – _We can do it._

_. . . . ._

A year passed and thankfully the team, now with Alexei being the leader, made more progress than expected. The key was working successfully and the portal was being held open by it.

You could not be happier with the situation. If everything was working well it meant that the General would do nothing to harm the scientists and eventually they could go back home, and there is nothing you want more than go back home and explore your new relationship with Alexei.

You met him when you were called by the government to work on an experiment. Alexei was a fascinating scientist and the best to work with, he was so brilliant it was mesmerizing and soon he conquered a soft spot in your heart.

The experiment you were working on was a to build some kind of key to another world – a parallel world, as they told you – and at first it was failing miserably, when a “fragile spot” was located in a city in America, the team was immediately transferred to start the experiment again.

And it went very good, the “portal” was being opened like planned and everything was going well, but you didn’t fail to notice that Alexei was being a little distant whenever you talked about the situation. It was starting to worry you.

You were now staring at the marvelous view of the portal being held open, the excitement was running fast inside your veins just at the thought of seeing what this parallel world would look like. That is a scientific miracle and everyone was enthusiastic about it.

With the very exception of Alexei.

_\- Beautiful, isn’t it?_ \- One of the comrades spoke, Alexei just nodded, his expression still apathetic.

You were starting to get worried. How was he not happy about it?

\- _Alexei?_ \- You called him and took his hand – _Is everything alright?_

He looked at you like he didn’t know you were there – _I'm okay... I’m just tired –_ He squeezed your hand. You frowned and he smiled and gently lifted your hand to kiss it.

You almost believed him.

. . . . .

Alexei was a very joyful man, he was always smiling or telling jokes, holding your hand and showering you with compliments like you were the most important thing in the world for him. You find yourself melting whenever he is around and this feeling was mutual, it couldn’t be better.

But he was acting strange lately, he was no longer sneaking into your dorm to kiss you goodnight or giving you surprise hugs when you were working alone. He was slowly isolating himself. You thought that maybe he was just tired because of his work and you gave him space, you didn’t want him feeling bad about it, after all, this experiment was way more important than you, if anything goes wrong, the General would probably kill Alexei, and it was the last thing you wanted.

However, in the course of time, everything was going considerably fine. The machine was working, the portal was opened, the General was happy and Alexei was still acting weird. You were starting to think that maybe it was your fault. Did you miss something? What have you done that makes that adorable man act like he wasn’t in love with you like he once was?

You knew him well enough to think that maybe he didn’t have the courage to make the first move, despite his cheerful personality, he was a shy man and sometimes it made him anxious, maybe he wanted to talk to you but he felt bad?

As you walked towards his lab you felt a knot forming inside your throat. What if he was really getting tired of you? Does he want to break up with you? You shook your head at the intrusive thoughts, you couldn’t assume the worse but you had to be prepared for it. You had to do it.

You knocked the door.

\- _Alexei?_ \- You called him – _Can I come in?_

There was a small hesitation inside the room, you felt it – _Yes, yes –_ You heard footsteps and then he opened the door and let you in – _Sorry I... I wasn’t expecting you, I thought you were sleeping_.

\- _I really couldn’t -_ You said, sitting on one the chairs and trying to think about something, anything, to say.

\- _Me neither_ \- He responded and sat on the chair beside you and smiled weakly.

\- _Is there something wrong? Are you okay?_ \- You asked. You could see he tensed again.

\- _I’m okay –_ He forced a smile and got up – _I finished those papers and was going to sleep._

_\- Alexei? -_ You said a little louder than expected. He seemed to notice because, when he heard that, he started to stare at the wall – _Why are you lying to me?_

You almost could feel his heartbeat stopping when you said that. His body went cold.

He couldn’t hide it from you anymore.

\- _I..._ \- He started, like he didn’t know what to say – _I..._

_\- I noticed that you were a little distant lately. I didn’t want to make you upset but... It’s been like this for weeks and I thought... Was it something I did? -_ It sounded like a whisper, but you were certain he heard it because he looked at you like you had just slapped him.

\- _What? No!_ \- He shook his head – _No, no, no, no, no... This is not... I’m sorry..._

_\- Then what is this? Why are you like this? – Now_ **you** were starting to get anxious.

He sighed in defeat and looked at you. You wondered how you didn’t notice his reddish eyes before. He was crying.

You got up and walked towards him slowly as you studied his expression. He looked so tired and vulnerable, his hands were shaking and you noticed that he was holding his breath.

You grabbed his hand and held it with both of your hands while looking at him in the eyes. Carefully you guided him to sit again on the chairs, but you stopped halfway when you heard a sob. He busted in tears and refused to look at you.

\- _Alexei? Please talk to me... I’m here for you, remember?_

\- _I... I can’t..._ \- He said between his shaky breaths

\- _You don’t want to talk about it? -_ He shook his head - _You don’t have, okay? Just tell me when you feel ready._

It calmed him down, his hands stopped shaking and he slowly pulled you into a messy hug. You fondly stroked his back until his breath was stable again.

\- _I’m sorry... I’m so sorry –_ he said with his head on your shoulder.

\- _It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize –_ You lifted his head touched his forehead with yours – _You look tired, let’s go to sleep._

He nodded and smiled. You closed the lab and guided him to his dorm. When you got there, you helped him undress until he was only in his underwear and guided him to lie on his bed. You kissed his nose and got up, but he reached to you and grabbed your hand.

\- _Stay._

You smiled and kissed the knuckles of his hand, and then you undressed too and lay on the bed next to him. It was a small bed, but you two didn’t care about it.

You heard another sob, and he was crying again.

It was painful to see that and not be able to know how to make him feel better, you didn’t want to pressure him and make things worse but seeing him so miserable made your heartache.

You grabbed his head and wiped the tears off his cheeks. He gave you a sad smile and tried to calm his breath, but failed. You never saw him like that. What kind of horrible thing in the world could have done this to him?

But it didn’t matter, because right now he needed the comfort of your arms, he needed to know everything was okay.

He closed his eyes and leaned on your hands almost desperately like it was the only thing keeping him alive, a new stream of fresh tears were coming out of his eyes as you patiently waited for him to calm down.

You hugged him close to your chest and he wrapped his arms around you again. He pulled you as close to his body as he could and embraced you in his arms. His trembling hands reached your back and his head rested on your shoulder.

You didn’t know for how long you two were like that when he fell asleep, and soon you were sleeping too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexei talks about what happened

Being a scientist working at a super-secret Russian project meant that you always had work to do and it was rare to have some spare time to do anything other than verify if the machines are working correctly or solving important equations to secure that nothing is going wrong. Somehow you managed to be in a relationship in the middle of all this responsibility but now you know that having a head so full work meant that sometimes you didn’t pay attention to important things, like Alexei’s mental health.

You woke up with him still laying close to you, his breath was calm, and you were glad to see him sleeping peacefully. Well, you couldn’t exactly see him because the room was dark, and the only visible light was a tiny table lamp on the nightstand beside the bed.

Your memories made you come back to the last night, and you remembered how disturbed Alexei seemed to be. The more you thought about it, the more you were confused, because you simply had no idea what was going on with him.

You didn’t want to make any more presumptions, you needed to wait until he was ready to talk to you.

A shift on the bed alarmed you that the man beside you had just woken up.

\- _Good… Morning?_ – He said tiredly while trying to open his eyes

\- _Good morning_ , _I guess –_ What time is it? – _How are you feeling?_ – You smile and caressed his hair

\- _Better –_ He took your hand in his

He pressed his lips lightly on yours, a warm and innocent kiss. Your hand caressed his chest hair as his palm rested on your hip. He looked at you with sleepy eyes and you couldn’t help but chuckle.

\- _I think I need to go back to my room –_ You said when he gave you a quick peck on the lips.

\- _I know, I know_

Your body trembled when your feet touched the cold floor of the room, it was summer out there, but the climate down here needed to be cold to avoid overheating the machines. Thankfully you had Alexei to warm you up at night.

You felt him shifting closer to you and a hand grabbing yours. His head rested on your shoulders and his free arm hugged your body. You felt that he was trembling, so you squeezed his hand. He took two deep long breaths before finally saying:

\- _I love you_

You smiled at that. He told you that a thousand times and in every opportunity he could, always reminding you of his love and devotion for you. This man loves you so much that you felt bad for thinking he was upset with you.

\- _I love you too, Alexei –_ He kissed your shoulder in response

\- _I’m sorry about yesterday…_

 _-_ _You don’t need to apologize.–_ You turned around, so you could face him – _Everything is alright, okay? I’ve got you_

Alexei wrapped his arms around carefully, nuzzling his nose in your hair. Your hand caressed the small of his back.

\- _And if you want to tell me what happened, I’m here to listen._

\- _I know_ – He smiled sadly – _Thank you_

He sat beside you and took your hand, you caressed the back of his hand with your thumb and kissed his shoulder. You could feel he was tense again.

\- _I don’t know how to explain… I’m just… I don’t feel okay… It’s…_

He took a deep breath.

\- _I don’t feel like this experiment is a good thing, I don’t think we should be doing it and – He sobbed – I-I… I can’t just ** **don’t**** do it because they will kill me if I don’t and… I don’t want to die – _He couldn’t hold back the tears anymore.

He put his two hands on his head as if he wanted to rip out his own hair. He felt like his chest was about to explode and you tried to calm him down.

\- _Alexei…_

Unlike him, you were happy with the experiment. You were excited and curious and proud of the progress the team made and seeing that Alexei like that gave you confused and mixed feelings about everything.

\- _I’m so scared… I don’t know what to do… I don’t know if I can keep doing it! –_ He got up, but you stayed on the bed.

The project meant a lot to you. Alexei meant a lot to you. And now had to make a choice. The time you spent together was a dear memory in your heart and sometimes you feel like no one has ever loved you as Alexei does.

You couldn’t just give up on the experiment.

But you couldn’t stand seeing him like this.

Alexei was standing in front of you and was crying in ugly, gulping sobs when you finally snapped out of your thoughts.

\- _Alexei I… I don’t know what to do either_ – You said honestly

He turned the lights on and you realized you didn’t even know what time it was. It was impossible to know since you were underground.

Without getting up, you reached out to him to bring him back to the bed and he shyly did. You laid on your back and he laid with his head on your chest.

\- _Do you think we are doing bad things? –_ You asked and he just nodded

Your ambition on building the key made you blind and you never thought about the consequences of opening the portal. But Alexei did.

\- _I remember seeing something trying to get out of the portal –_ He said quietly – _It looked like some kind of monster… What if there’s more of it?_

The tears on his face were wetting the skin of your naked chest and you felt your lungs starting to burn.

\- Do you _really think that? Do you really think it is dangerous?_

\- _Yes_

_\- I believe you, I really do but… Like you said… We can’t just don’t do this_

_\- I know_

Alexei lifted himself on his elbows to lay on your side. His cheeks and nose were cherry red, and the tears were already drying. You felt your own eyes watering as he cupped your cheek and pulled you close for a tender, chaste kiss.

His lips were warm and inviting, and you couldn’t help but melt in bliss. The hand on your cheek massaged your head and the other one pulled your body closer to his. He embraced you as the kiss got deeper. Sweat gathers at the center of Alexei’s chest and he sat with you on his lap. His tongue now exploring your mouth and you both were moaning in unison.

The room was getting hotter, your bodies were getting hotter, your hearts were pounding loudly inside your chests. Alexei’s big hands wandered through your body and squeezed your hips. You could feel his excitement poking the inside of your thighs.

You two jumped when someone knocked on the door.

\- _Dr. Alexei? –_ You recognized the voice, it was one of the mechanical engineers that work on the machines – _Are you awake?_

\- _Y-Yes –_ He stammered

\- _I’m sorry about coming so late at night –_ So it was night! – _But I need your assistance, one of the machines is not working very well and I think it’s about to overheat!_

 _-_ _R-Right, I’m coming in a minute –_ You heard footsteps as the man walked away

He looked at you with an apologetic smile – _I’m sorry –_ He said

\- _It’s okay_ – You caressed his flushed face, even horny he still was adorable – _Are you okay?_

 _\- I am –_ He said shyly

_\- We will figure something out, I promise_

_\- Would you give up this? For me?_

_\- Of course I would, I love you_

His cheeks reddened, and he gave you the most adorable smile a man could give.

\- _I love you too_

He got up of the bed, got dressed, gave you a quick peck on the lips, and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thinking about adding just one more chapter... I dunno


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find Alexei

It happened so fast that you didn’t even have time to breathe.

Two people invaded the house that covered up the underground labs you were in. It was told you that they were American and they were armed, but since the engineer that was there didn’t speak English, he didn’t know what exactly they wanted, but they kidnapped Alexei and God knew where they took him.

You were desperately worried about him. Alexei was not mentally stable and now someone kidnapped him? What kind of horrible things they could be doing to him? Was he even _alive?_ Each day you felt like you were broken little by little. The anxiety was devouring and you weren’t sleeping or eating well.

You needed to find him, needed to know if he was okay. You just hoped he wasn’t scared.

The General was doing everything he could to find Alexei, after all, he was a very valuable scientist and his presence is indispensable to their progress.

Someone, and later you found out it was Mayor Kline, called Grigori on the phone and told him that he found the Americans and you were lucky enough to overhear the conversation. The General ordered him to go find and kill them, and, if needed, kill Alexei as well.

Your entire blood froze at the statement, and at this moment you knew you had to do something. You couldn’t just ask to go with him, so your only option was to escape and try to find Alexei by yourself.

Since no one knew about those plans, no one questioned you when you were heading out of the labs. You were extra careful to not be noticed by Grigori and luckily he didn’t found out he was being followed.

You followed him to some kind of festival, at first you were confused by the scenario and wondered why the Americans and Alexei would be there, but as soon as you entered that place, you forgot about that.

The colors were so vibrating your eyes hurt, if you weren’t looking for Alexei you would totally play one of those games, they seemed fun and it’s been ages since you had real fun.

But now you needed to find him before Grigori did.

And like a miracle, you saw him with a plushie toy in the arms walking while talking to someone who was far from him.

\- _Look! It’s not rigged! –_ He said happily

For a moment you were paralyzed. Alexei seemed radiant. It almost didn’t look like he was kidnapped by some crazy Americans. You were not upset though. You have not seen him so happy in ages and seeing it now made your heart swell with joy.

But it all happened so fast that you didn’t even have time to breathe.

Grigori suddenly appeared and the next thing you know Alexei had a hole in his stomach.

It was impossible to describe the feeling of witnessing the man you love getting shot right in front of you.

Your immediate reaction was to run to him, but it as risky with Grigori still nearby. You felt hopeless for a moment but a man, the man Alexei was talking to before being shot, appeared and you felt a light relief, at least someone was going to help him.

The man prevented Alexei from falling on the floor and helped him walk to a quieter place. You followed them.

\- _Alexei –_ You caught their attention

\- Who are you? – The American said in English and you didn’t understand

\- _(Y-Y/N)… -_ Alexei said between gasps and tried to reach a hand in your direction, but failed.

You kneeled beside him and cupped his face. You finally let the stuck tears in your eyes fall as you watched his terrified expression.

\- _I’m going to find help, okay? Stay here –_ He looked at you one last time and then left

\- _Alexei, please –_ You didn’t even know how you managed to talk between the sobs, you felt your lungs weak as you pressed his wound with that man’s shirt. The amount of blood on his shirt was terrifying and you could see that the loss of the red liquid was starting to affect him.

\- _I’m scared –_ He said weakly – _I don’t w-want to die_

 _\- You won’t – ­_ You said between erratic breaths – _Everything will be all right, okay?_

 _\- I’m sorry –_ His eyes were slowly closing

When you opened your mouth to respond, the man was back with a woman. She looked confused at you but ignored as she reached to Alexei.

\- Oh no – She said when he passed out – I think we can make it to the hospital

\- Let’s go – You recognized the expression and helped Alexei to stand up.

The man carried Alexei to a car and put him in the backseat. When you tried to enter, he put a hand on your chest to stop you.

\- _Who are you? How do I know you are not another Russian trying to kill us? –_ He said

For a moment, you felt the heat rising in your face and ears and an urge to punch this man on the face, you were now an emotional mess and you felt you were about to explode. For Christ’s sake, Alexei was dying right there!

But you needed to calm down, he was just being careful.

\- _My name is (Y/N) and I’m a scientist, like Alexei_ – You said trying not to cry – _I’m also his… Partner…_

He didn’t look very convinced. And was about to reply when a shout behind you caught your attention.

\- JOYCE! TURN ON THE DAMN CAR – A big man shouted at the woman. And you could see a Russian guard behind him.

\- _I’m not your enemy –_ You said – _Please!_

 _\- Enter the car –_ he sighed and sat beside you as the big man jumped in the front seat.

\- JOYCE! – He seemed angry

\- I KNOW – She said and quickly turned the car on.

While the woman was driving, the big man seemed to finally notice your presence, he looked confused for a moment as if he entered the wrong car, but he was sure he didn’t.

\- Who’s that? – he asked in English to the man beside you

\- Alexei has a lover, apparently – He said almost laughing – I don’t know for sure if it’s true

He looked at Alexei and saw your hand pressing the wound on his chest, he opened his mouth to say something but gave up. All this situation was extremely stressing, and everyone was silent.

When you arrived at the hospital, the woman was the one who entered to call a doctor, the big man was quick to get Alexei and bring him inside. You were about to follow him when the other man held your arm.

\- _You stay here –_ He said

\- _But-_

 _\- I’m not entirely sure if you are really saying the truth –_ He cut you off – _And if you are really a scientist, we are going to need help._

The urge to run away was huge, but you were not in shape to it and they probably would get you. Stubborn tears were trying to fall from your eyes as you tried to breathe. You had no choice but to stay with them.

The events of that night were indescribable. But the things you saw made you finally understand Alexei.

Beside you, Joyce was holding one of the keys and you the other. Hopper was right in front of the portal. You two had no choice.

. . . . .

\- _Hey –_ Alexei caught your attention – _You okay?_

You looked at him. He was looking good for someone who had been shot in less than a day ago. The doctors said he was lucky he survived, if that plushie wasn’t there to slow down the bullet, he probably would have died.

The damn plushie saved his life, not you.

\- _I’m okay –_ You held his hand.

The door opened, Murray and Joyce entered the room, you looked at Alexei as he smiled at the two of them.

\- _Well, the doctors said that you can go home in a few days –_ Murray said, and Joyce smiled at you.

\- _But… What home? –_ You said – _We can’t go back to Russia_

 _\- Don’t worry, you can stay at my place for as long as you need –_ He said happily – _I’m sure we can figure something out._

You were sure that if he wasn’t trapped in that bed now, Alexei would get up and give this man the tightest hug he could ever receive, because of the smile on his face when Murray said that was the most example of happiness you had ever seen.

He gave your hand a tight squeeze and smiled at you happily.

\- _Thank you, Murray –_ You said – Thank you, Joyce – you tried in English, she smiled weakly and they both left the room.

\- _I guess we don’t have to worry about the general anymore –_ You said, and he laughed.

\- _It’s a new start for us –_ He kissed the back of your hand – _I love you so much_

_\- I love you too_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand the end!

**Author's Note:**

> I really needed it, okay?  
> And Alexei will open up... Eventually


End file.
